West Bank

Deadlock reached in Jericho handover

Israel and the Palestinians deadlocked Wednesday over returning control of West Bank towns to Palestinian control, extending a stalemate that threatens to increase frustration and anger that could lead to increased violence after a monthlong truce.

Despite the risk of losing momentum in peace efforts, both sides clung to their positions.

The Palestinians insisted Israel remove army roadblocks around the towns and lift travel restrictions. Israel said it could not take security risks until Palestinian security forces did a better job reining in militants.

The quiet, isolated oasis of Jericho was the unlikely focus of the disagreement. Its handover had been expected to be a relatively simple affair.

Netherlands

Kosovo’s former PM surrenders to tribunal

Kosovo’s former prime minister surrendered to the U.N. war crimes tribunal Wednesday, a day after the ethnic Albanian resigned to face charges stemming from the province’s fight for independence from Belgrade.

Ramush Haradinaj arrived at the U.N. detention unit under police escort following a special flight from Pristina. He is to face charges of atrocities committed during the 1998-99 war between ethnic Albanian separatists and Serb forces.

Serbian officials accuse him of command responsibility in the alleged killing of Serb civilians by the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army forces in 1998.

Mexico City

Anti-narcotics helicopter crashes

A federal government helicopter searching for gunmen protecting drug plantations crashed into a mountain in southern Mexico on Wednesday, killing all nine soldiers and two pilots onboard, authorities said.

The crash occurred in the isolated mountains near the town of Tlapa, about 130 miles southeast of Mexico City. The cause was under investigation, but another federal helicopter flying in the region earlier was hit by gunfire from the ground, according to a statement from the federal attorney general’s office.

The pilot of that first chopper was able to land without incident at a nearby airstrip.

The second chopper, a Bell 212 carrying a military officer, eight soldiers and two pilots from the attorney general’s office, took off to find the gunmen. It crashed at about 2 p.m. near the village of Igualita.